NGC 4372 is a large, faint globular star cluster in the southern constellation Musca, located about 19,000 light-years away and near the Dark Doodad Nebula. Discovered by James Dunlop in 1826, it's known as Caldwell 108 and appears as a large, diffuse patch of stars, partially obscured by dust lanes, making it a challenging but rewarding target for southern hemisphere observers with binoculars or telescopes.
Key characteristics
Type: Globular cluster (a dense, spherical collection of stars).
Location: Constellation Musca, near the Dark Doodad Nebula.
Distance: Approximately 19,000 light-years from Earth.
Appearance: A large, faint, and diffuse object, about 10 arcminutes in diameter, with a unique, elongated shape due to foreground dust.
Observability: Best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, highest in the sky during the autumn months.
Classification: Classified as a Shapley-Sawyer class XII cluster, indicating it's very loose and sparse.
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